It’s so nice when a song is playing and your hair is flying in slow motion,” chuckles Fatima Sana Shaikh, expressing her fondness for romantic movies. Her soft spot for the genre has been evident this year as she fronted two love stories back-to-back, Metro…In Dino and Aap Jaisa Koi. Now, the actor is set to close 2025 with Gustaakh Ishq, a romantic drama.
A still from ‘Gustaakh Ishq’. Pics/Instagram, Youtube
Even as she has played empowered characters — a woman holding together a crumbling marriage in Metro…In Dino, and a teacher who won’t compromise on her freedom in Aap Jaisa Koi — Shaikh is aware that meaty female parts are not common in Hindi love stories. “Shabanaji [Azmi] has played layered characters. The women characters Mira Nair writes are unique. Strong female characters in romances used to be written earlier, but now they have reduced. There are well-written romances on OTT, but I haven’t seen many on the big screen. Many of them just have a monologue by the woman, which makes you wonder why they have put it,” she says.
Manish Malhotra
While 2025 has been Shaikh’s year of romance on screen, it’s a different story off screen. Finding love must be especially difficult for actors, who lead a nomadic life jumping from one set to another. “Forget about being nomadic or non-nomadic, it’s difficult for anybody to find love right now. I feel if you’ve found love, you’re very lucky. To find somebody whom you can love with all your heart is a lucky thing,” she says.